Receptacle with safety devices



Oct. 17, 1939. P. BLAKEY RECEPTACLE WITH SAFETY DEVICES Filed June 25,1938 INVENTOR. Louis 1 Ellakeg 'ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECEPTACLE WITHSAFETY DEVICES Louis P. Blakey, Philadelphia, Pa. Application June 25,1938, Serial No. 215,915

2 Claims.

which safety device functions without the employment of springs, links,clasps or the like.

Another important object is to provide a device of this kind whichrequires no manual operation in order to put it into operation. Instead,the mere sliding or dropping of the receptacle,

' equipped with this novel device, into a pocket,

will put the device into operation.

Still another important object is to provide a safety device of thiskind which does away with the employment of knobs or other bulkyprojecting parts or parts which add materially to the thickness of thereceptacle.

Another object is to provide a receptacle, such as a wallet, having asafety device associated therewith, which safety device is not bulky,nor of unusual shape or otherwise conspicuous. Instead, the deviceherein disclosed, is pleasing in appearance and gives the impression ofbeing nothing more than a clasp, ornament or name or monogram plate,associated with the wallet.

Yet another object is to provide a safety device, as will be more fullydescribed, which safety device functions additionally as a name ormonogram plate and as a temporary clasp.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent during the course of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, andin which drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle, such as a wallet, withthe latter unfolded and the novel safety device, associated therewith,in an inoperative position. 1

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the wallet of Figure 1, folded andwith the safety devicein its inoperative position, in position forinsertion into a pocket. j

Figure 3 is a sectional view thru the wallet and safety device,substantially upon the line 3-3 of Figure l.

designate generally the receptacle, the letter C the novel safetydevice, the letter C an indiciacarrying member which may be secured tothe safety device C, and the letter D, a conventional pocket.

The receptacle A is shown, by way of example, as a conventional wallet,having a pair of walls l and II, each having opposite end edges l2 andI3 and opposite side edges l4 and I5, preferably secured together alongthe end edges I2 and I3 and two side edges M, as by stitches I6, thusforming a pocket I! open at the side edges I5. If

desired, additional short lengths I8 and IQ of suitable material may besecured to one outer face of one of the walls ID or II, to formadditional pockets, as is well known in the art, with the mouths 20 ofthe pockets preferably facing each other and these mouths being spacedapart, to either side of the transverse medial line of the wallet, thistransverse medial line being the fold line of the wallet.

Now as for the novel safety device C, the same comprises a rigid member25, which may be a suitable sheet of material formed into the member 25so that said member is substantially U- shaped in transverse section,has a length somewhat less than the length of the folded wallet A and awidth which may vary but is preferably considerably less than thewidthof the wallet A. Thus there will be provided, in the safety device C,two overlapping portions 26 and 21, connected at one longitudinal edgeof each by the bight portion 28, but with the opposite longitudinaledges 29 separated.

Extending from one extremity 30 of at least one portion such as theportion 26, and forming a continuation in the same plane as the plane ofthe portion 26, is a projection 3|, having an important function.Preferably, this projection is rounded so that it defines a portion of acircle.

-The projection 3| extends from that part of the extremity 30 nearestthe longitudinal edge 29 thereof while that part of the extremity 3Gfarthest from the longitudinal edge 29 may be rounded, as at 32. It willbe noted that while this rounded edge 32 is provided at one extremity,the opposite extremity 33 of at least one portion, such as 25, extendsstraight, so that corners .3 and 35 are formed. This extremity 33 may betermed the free end of the safety device C. Etc-- tending through bothportions 26 and El are name, initials or other indicia, may be placed.In fact, the portion 26 provides a desirable place where a disc may besecured bearing the owners monogram.

Means to pivot the safety device C to the wallet may comprise a bushing40 inserted,

through the walls Iii and II of the wallet, preferably adjacent thejuncture of the end edges l2 and side edges ll. A suitable pivot pin llmay 'now be inserted throughout the perforations" and bushing 40 whenthe wallet A and device C are disposed as shown particularly in Figure3. Thus, the safety device C may be swung into a number of operativepositions as shown in Fig-' ures 4 and 5 or swung into the inoperativeposition shown in Figures land 2. Inthe inoperative position, theprojection 3! always extends below the end edges I! of the wallet, butin. the operative positions, it lies within the plane of the edges ofthe wallet, as is clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5.

' The indicia-carrying member 0' may be a disc or button of suitablematerial provided on one face with a monogram and secured, at itsopposite face, to the safety device C at the projection 3|, with anyapproved medium such as solder. Thus, the projection 3| provides 4 bothan essential part of the safety device C but it also provides adesirable place for a monogram button or disc C.

For the purpose of a better understanding of the operation of the noveldevice 0 as associated with a receptacle A, a pocket D is shown insection. The pocket D has opposite, generally paralleling sides 60, abottom 6| and mouth 62, opposite the bottom 6!. Suchsides 80, give oryield somewhat, as shown by way of example, at $3 in Figure 4 and at 64in Figure 5.

With the safety device C in'inoper'ative position and the wallet Afolded, as in Figure 2, they may be inserted into a pocket, with theprojection 3| lowermost. Insertion may be made by.

pocket material to yield as shown at I in Figure 4. From this Figure 4,it will be. seen that when the novel device C is in this operative position, a horizontal line, extending from the corner 34 of the free end ofthe device C to the side edges I5 (farthest removed from the safetydevice C) will be greater in length than is the normal width of thepocket D, and the same holds true when the device C is in the operativeposition shown in Figure 5.

With the device C in the operative position shown in Figure 4, ifattempts are made to withdraw the receptacle A, movement of thereceptacle toward the mouth 62 of the pocketD, will cause the safetydevice 0 to swinginto the position shown in Figure 5 and withdrawal ofthe receptacle A will be prevented. Of course, the device C cannot swingfarther than shown in Figure 5, since the bight portion 23 now eontactsthe end edges I! of the wallet or receptacle A- This operation will takeplace even if the receptacle A accidentally slides toward the mouth 62of the pocket, as when the pocket is tilted or inverted, so thataccidental removal of the receptacle will not take place.

However, the owner of the receptacle A may readily remove it from apocket, even when the safety device is in the position shown in Figure4, simply by inserting the fingers into the pocket and drawing the freeend of the safety device toward the receptacle A until both can clearthe I mouth 62.

In fact, the movement of the safety device from the operative positionshown in Figure 4, to the operative position shown in Figure 5, will beapt to both apprise the owner that attempts are be-' ing made to removethe receptacle and will also indicate to the person attempting to removethe receptacle, that some agent is preventing its rethe invention hereinshown and described, without departing from the spirit of the inventionand scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a wallet having an end edge, said edge being theedge first inserted into a. pocket, a side edge and a mouth oppositesaid side edge; a safety device including a rigid member, substantiallyU-shaped in transverse section and having a projecting portion at oneend; and means pivoting said device to said wallet at adjacent said endedge with said portion extending outwardly from said end edge when saidmember is in an inoperative position with the bight portion of saidsubstantially U-shaped member closing a portion of said mouth, thehorizontal distance measured from the free end of said member, when saidmember is in an operative position, to said side edge being greater thanthe normal width of a conventional pocket into which said wallet isinserted. I

2. In combination with a wallet having an end a pocket, 9. side edge,and a mouth opposite said side edge; a safety device including a rigidmember, substantially U-shaped in transverse section and having aprojecting portionat one end; and means pivoting said device to saidwallet at adjacent said end edge and said mouth with said portionextending outwardly from said end edge when said member is in aninoperative position with the bight portion of said substantially U-shaped member closing a portion of said mouth,- the horizontal distancemeasured from the free end of said member, when said member is in anoperative position, to said side edge being greater than the normalwidth of a conventional pocket into which said wallet is inserted.

- LOUIS P. BLAKEY.

' edge, said edge being the edge first inserted into

